Sea Witch — Restaurant in New York

Really disappointed in this place... I live near by and finally went to see what it was all about. Perhaps my expectations were too high... Service at the bar was terrible, waited 15mn before one of the two bartenders finally noticed me even though I was seated in the middle with a nearly empty bar. Was asked for ID which he took and than held onto while going about stacking dirty glasses and serving another patron before even looking at my ID than asking my date for the same (I'm 42yrs old mind you) and doing the same side work before saying sorry he was busy and can now serve us. Asked about ordering food and said something we couldn't hear execept he needed a credit card if we were ordering drinks and needed to leave the tab open for food. As it turns out the food has to be ordered yourself at the front door as there is no server... That's fine, should make it clearer or perhaps I should have read about that before going, somehow I missed that. Thought it was a Seafood restaurant/bar. Was looking forward to some good food and drinks. Had a nice beer menu (written above the bar, though no hint of a menu). Beautiful Salt Water fish tank and simple outdoor seating and a few tables inside.

Ordered the food, and left my phone number for them to call when it was ready to be picked up. Small Handcut Fries, Fried Clam Sandwich, and Fried Shrimp Basket, sounds yummy. Nope... the fries were more like wilted shoestring fries, small indeed, the Fried Clam Sandwich hardly had any clams, 90% fried batter bits! The fried shrimp.. yeah, I've had better at a fast food place. Tiny, dried, shrimp that were probably sitting around for a while... all that and two Alagash White beers for almost $50.00. Really disappointing. Plus trying to get another beer (the saving grace) was near impossible as well... and not just for me, but other patrons too.

Guess all in all... go there for socializing and the drinks (only had beer, whisch they had a nice listing of taps) but avoid the food and be prepared to wait and be ignored...

The food wasn't worth the time to take a photo of... even had to go and get pizza...

A great local, a thoughtful beer selection, an amazing garden with koi (phase 2 open! But not with food yet!!!) It's magical. We used to live around the corner.

When the kitchen reopens, the fried clams and fish tacos are delish with the chipotle mayo, fries skinny and crisp, the crowd is always friendly. I've taken older, quiet kids (sorry and thank you). Luckily no one else with kids generally shows up. No Park Slope stroller brigade. (I love you, and I teach your children, have three kids, and need a place where I can have a Break 🖖🏻).

Generally a bar-typical mixed aged crowd, depending on the night. Different vibe from trendier neighborhoods in BK. The musician owner is a mensch (hi Andy!). The music is never bad as a savvy crowd takes lead from him. There's a salt water tank behind the bar that is a gem when we can sit there and admire it.

Importantly, the outdoor street seating is couched in stacked cinder blocks, with carport tent, and is only three tables. Oncoming traffic is less worrisome than with a flimsy wooden thing. (I've seen what parked cars take in Brooklyn, and I'm not playing 😆).

Go, drink, eat, be merry. (You can currently grab food at several places on 5th Ave and eat with drinks at Sea Witch. We did. Andy...

What a waste of a good atmosphere.

Had a nightcap with family visiting the city. We stopped in for one drink and called it a night for their first day. While paying, my elder relative tried making small-talk about drink-making related ingredients that were on the counter. Barely even 10 words out of her mouth.

This was enough to set off the bartender into a monologue of being offended. At first we thought it was was a joke, but we quickly realized there was no punch line.

This was an incredibly uncomfortable end to the night, I can not recommend this place to anyone after witnessing the treatment of a patron.

I can understand bartenders get comments all the time, but the comment from my relative was so incredibly mild, the response was uncalled for - retrain your staff. We won't be returning regardless of the...